Barilla Pasta, Orzo

Barilla Orzo (16 oz) sits squarely in the pasta aisle, stacked with other dry pastas and nearby jars of pasta sauce, boxed soups, and rice. Packaged in Barilla’s familiar blue 16-ounce box and marketed with Italian heritage cues, it reads as a pantry staple for home cooks who want consistent, everyday performance. Orzo’s rice-shaped pieces are best known for slipping into brothy soups, but they also turn up in chilled grain salads, quick pilafs, and simple side dishes; the small shape cooks quickly and holds dressings and broths well. The brand leans on family-owned, old-world craft — “since 1877” storytelling, non-GMO project verification, and Kosher certification — positioning it as reliable, quality-focused, and aimed at mainstream families and time-pressed cooks seeking authentic Italian-style pasta. Label claims emphasize non-GMO and enrichment with vitamins and iron, giving a mild health halo of fortified nutrition without organic certification or overt “natural” or kid-focused branding. In plain terms this is a refined durum-wheat product that’s industrially milled, shaped and dried, then fortified with B vitamins and iron. Sensory notes: dry, hard rice-like grains that soften to a tender-but-firm al dente bite; neutral wheaty flavor that readily takes on sauces and vinaigrettes. Usage is ritualized — measure, boil, drain or ladle into soup — and it functions as a convenient, crowd-pleasing carbohydrate base for weeknight dinners, potlucks, and soup nights. Nutrition is straightforward: pantry-friendly calories with very low sugar and sodium naturally minimal in the dry form.